Gas cylinders such as pressurized gas cylinders are often purchased as individual cylinders or in packs of four or more cylinders. The packs may include as many as 6, 8, 12, 16, or even 20 cylinders. To handle and ship these cylinders as a single unit they are typically packaged together on a cylinder pallet, also sometimes referred to a cylinder pack, bundle, or cradle.
Some pallets include a permanently attached manifold system connected to the cylinders, creating a “manifolded cylinder pallet.” A single gas cylinder is usually qualified for a ten-year period, but once installed in a manifolded cylinder cradle, pack, or pallet, from which they are not typically removed, the cylinders are required to be requalified every five years. Currently, the cradle, pack, or pallet must be disassembled every five years to requalify all the cylinders contained therein. If the pack of cylinders contains carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide, or a liquid fuel gas such as propylene, propane, or acetylene the cylinder must be removed from the pack to be re-filled, which will require disassembling the cradle, pack, or pallet to fill all of the cylinders.